How Far Will Companies Go to Attract Top Developer Talent?

Huge salaries and outrageous perks are becoming commonplace.

By some estimates, there are only eight qualified developers available for every ten job openings. With odds like those, companies are going to new lengths to attract and keep talent.

For example, GitHub has built a replica of the Oval Office that workers walk through on their way to their desks every day. The company headquarters also boasts a huge cafe, "couches, pool tables, elaborately themed conference rooms, a library, a gift shop, a yoga studio, heat-map displays showing the location of each employee, an indoor park, and more."

Other companies are offering very large salaries—$110,000 per year is the average in San Francisco, according to Glassdoor.

But some companies, like agile software development consultancy Pivotal, are trying a different tack. Pivotal employees work nine hours and then go home–a rarity in an industry known for its long hours and poor work-life balance. And some firms are relying on "interesting work" to attract top talent.

"If you want to play at a high level and recruit the best engineers, every single piece matters," says Box's Sam Schillace. "You need to have a good story, compensate fairly, engage directly and have a good culture they want to come work with. You need to make some kind of human connection. You have to do all of it, and you have to do all of it pretty well. Because everyone else is doing it pretty well."